A Family
by animegirlfoxfire
Summary: Our group is on their way to collect the peices of the crystal when their eyes catch two children running. They aren't just any children though, their half demon children. After catching them, though, they learn that those two aren't the only ones living in the forest.
1. Chapter 1

**This specific part is during the time when our lovely mixed group of people is traveling to get the jewel back together.**

"Kiki! Stop!" Kiko cried as he struggled to keep up with his unburdened sister. The swinging basket of herbs and berries banged against his knees causing them to hurt more and more with every leap forward. "Kanga told us not to go near the road!" he shouted to her as she moved farther and farther away from him.

"The cherries are ripe though! Kanga would be happy if we brought back some cherries!" Kiki yelled back to him once she had reached the dusty road. She didn't cross it yet, but instead waited for her twin to catch up. Across the road was the only clump of cherry trees for miles around. Kiki knew that Star loved them, and Kanga was happy when her sister was happy. Once Kiko had caught up, out of breath and in pain, Kiki scrambled across the road and up the nearest tree without waiting to hear another one of her brother's scolding's on listening to Kanga and following the rules. Defeated, Kiko set down the heavy basket under the same tree his sister had just climbed, and bent over his knees to catch his breath.

"Kiko, open the basket," Kiki asked sweetly. Kiko did as he was asked and soon a steady rain of cherries fell from the tree and into the basket. Kiko didn't bother scolding his twin. They were already at the trees, so it would be a waste of time to leave without some cherries for Star. Frankly, he couldn't see why anyone would like the tart berries. They weren't as tasty as the animal blood that Kanga retrieved for him and his sister.

Kiko felt nervous. He kept looking down one end of the road, and then the other, and then the other end again. He kept doing this until the sight of a distant group of people, appearing over the distant hill, sent a bolt of fear through him. He quietly darted behind the tree and hissed, "Kiki, people are coming." Cherries stopped falling and second later there were the slight, distinctive noises of Kiki climbing down. Sadly, she climbed down on the wrong side of the tree. Kiki looked down each side of the road and then saw the group. The group stopped walking, and silently conversed with each other. The twins weren't old enough to be able to hear what they were saying, but the two were smart enough to know it wasn't good. Kiko silently came from around the tree, and him and Kiki picked up the basket and bolted across to the road.

"Hey!" They heard a women say loudly which made them pound through the trees with a fear that they've never experienced before. The basket between then swung back and forth and greatly dragged them down.

"We aren't going to hurt you! Stop!" A man's voice came this time. The twins didn't slow down or stop. They just kept running. Their fear caused them to drop the basket and run much faster through the trees which hid their home.

"Help!" Kiki yelled.

"Kanga!" Kiko yelled right before someone snatched him by the back of his shirt.

"Wo!" Kagome exclaimed as she almost trampled over the basket that the two dark-haired children had dropped. Inuyasha and Sango ran past her followed by a slowed down Miruko.

"Are you alright Lady Kagome?" He asked stopping beside her.

"Mhm," Kagome muttered nodding her head. She kneeled down and righted the fallen basket. She opened the latch and saw one side was filled with deep red cherries and the other dust roots, herbs, and mushrooms of various colors.

"What is it?" Miruko asked bending over.

"Food," She answered. She closed up the basket and got to her feet. "Let's keep going," She said and the two moved on.

"Let me go!" A young black haired boy yelled as he dangled from Inuyasha's hand. His eyes were tightly shut and his teeth visibly clenched together. His four defined fangs were much bigger than any human's and that unnerved Sango just a little.

"Let him go!" The black haired girl yelled as she struggled in Sango's arms. Her brown eyes were trained on Inuyasha, and like her brother, her teeth were clenched and she had four defined fangs.

"Let them go," A strong female voice came from the veiled trees ahead. The veil parted and out stepped a red haired women with serious brown eyes. A glinting knife was held loosely in her right hand, but her stance spoke of many years of fighting. The veil parted in two other places and out came a tall, pale man with a twig thin body and white hair. His blue eyes shifted to each individual person, resting on Inuyasha eventually. The second person was a girl that looked exactly like the other women but a few years younger. Her eyes trained on Sango.

"Who are you?" Sango asked releasing the girl. She bolted forward and toward the younger red hair woman. She clung to her clothes and looked back at the group with fearful eyes. Her eyes came to focus on the black haired boy though.

"Release the boy," The older red hair women demanded. The younger red haired one patted the black haired girl's head before disappearing with her through the veil.

"First, who are you?" Kagome asked this time.

"Kanga. Release the boy," She said emphasizing each word. Her eyes narrowed and her grip on the knife tightened.

"We aren't here to cause trouble," Inuyasha said and dropped the boy. The boy scrambled up and ran to the white haired man. He picked up the boy but didn't leave.

"What are you here for then?" Kanga asked suspiciously.

"We wanted to ask them if they knew where Mount Mirushino was," Kagome answered.

"It's up the road. Now leave," Kanga said sternly.

"The road leads to a dead end though and…" Kagome trailed off as Inuyasha took a few steps forward it Kanga. Her eyes followed him with suspicion and the white haired man watched with curiosity.

"Tell me half demon, what do these people have to make you stay with them?" Kanga asked cryptically. No one spoke for a few minutes.

"They are friends," He responded. Kanga's lip shifted up for a half a second before settling back into her thin lipped seriousness.

"Friends…that's an answer I've never heard before," She stated.

"Why are you heading to the mountains?" The white haired man asked.

"There have been reports of demons around that area," Sango answered, turning to talk to him.

"There are demons everywhere. You should be careful," he said as his grip tightened on the boy in his arms.

"Even here?" She asked. Kanga's gaze broke from Inuyasha and shifted to her companion.

"Yes," He responded simply. Kanga shook her head slightly.

"But nothing we can't handle on our own," she added. She turned her attention back to Inuyasha. "You should leave," she suggested. The boy took three, silent steps to his partner and rested a hand on her should.

"We would be happy if you could clear them out for us though. They are hiding farther North. We would be more than happy to guide you there should you decide to help," The man suggested warmly. The woman's face hardened but she didn't look up at him. Her eyes showed a hostility that the group hadn't seen so far, and yet Kagome stepped forward.

"We would be happy to. May we ask who you are?" Kagome asked respectively. That made Kanga tense up more and dislike was visibly written all over her face.

"Sey," He responded before turning to Inuyasha, "Can I ask your name?"

"He's Inuyasha," Kagome responded warmly.

"Can speak for himself human?" Kanga questioned roughly.

"Kanga," Sey said so softly that the human's present couldn't hear it. A few seconds of pure silence passes.

"This is yours I think," Kagome said holding the basket up with two hands. Kanga reached forward and took a few steps forward to grasp the basket and then went back to her spot in front of Sey. Kanga wordlessly took the black haired boy from Sey's arms and disappeared through the veil.

"I'll show you the way then," Sey said and opened the veil with arm. Everyone filed though, and then Sey dropped it and took the lead through the shaded path. "I'm sorry about her. She isn't very trusting of strangers, but that's why she's in charge. She's the cautious one who has prevented our deaths more than once with her rules," He babbled on as he nimbly ducked under low branches and moved over fallen logs. The group was a little shocked that Kanga, who looked much younger than Sey, was in charge. "Kanga won't say this out loud, but Inuyahsa you are welcome here as well as your friends."

"Why?" Inuyasha asked.

"Like you, we are all half demons, except we found each other and made a haven for ourselves where humans leave us alone and most demons stay away. You don't look like your being forced to stay with them, so your friends must be alright with half demons. I don't think they'll hurt or sell us out as Kanga does," he said.

"How many of you are there?" Shippo asked innocently.

"There are seven of us here little fox demon," Sey responded after a few seconds of counting. "We would be thankful if you took out those demons. Despite what Kanga thinks, they are a little out of our league and neither one of us can afford to be injured."

"Why?" Sango asked. Sey hesitated.

"Many of us are children. There are three and a half of us who can fight roughly but the rest are too young," He said slowly.

"Half?" Inuyasha questioned.

"One of us is only a few years younger than me and Kanga, but she acts too much like a child for either of us to think otherwise. She treats fighting like a game, when really one false move could kill her. She doesn't understand that yet," Sey explained.

"Was that the younger girl we say earlier?" Kagome asked.

"Yes, her name Star," Sey said hopping over a huge tree root. "Be careful," he cautioned. Over the root, he pushed aside one last tree branch and a sunny clearing was revealed. Stumps of trees we apparent in multiple places, but it was mostly a cleared area. In the middle of the clearing was a house raised on stilts and has a wooden walkway that went all the way around. There were three steps leading up to a paper sliding door facing East, which was open a revealed a round face with silver hair that puffed around two white ears and golden eyes that screamed innocence. Beside the steps was a wooden ladder that lead to the shingled roof. Star sat on the walkway, her feet dangling over the edge, and the two dark haired children on either side of her. In her arms was a struggling brown haired boy that wiggled and squirmed with his dull fangs glistening in the sun. Star's head sprung up and the boy stopped squirming. Five sets of eyes were now trained on the approaching group.

"Sey," A tense voiced Kanga came. She emerged through the sliding door and pushed the silver haired boy back inside. She tightly closed the door but made no move to go to him.

"I don't think they'll hurt us," Sey said reassuringly as he lead the group through the clearing. He stopped at the opposite trees but made no move to follow the path through them.

"The demons hide in the trees ahead. I can't lead you further without endangering myself or my family," He said.

"We wouldn't expect you to," Kagome reassured him. Sey nodded his head.

"When you come back, there will be a warm meal and beds as your rewards. We can't offer more than that," he said. The group nodded their heads and disappeared into the trees. Sey turned him back and walked to the house where his stern faced leader was waiting.

"How much did you say?" Kanga asked immediately when they were alone inside. The children were outside and under the supervision of Star.

"I told them about who we are. They are a mixed company with three humans, two small demons, and also a half demon. I don't see harmful intentions in their actions. As you heard, I asked them to clear out the demons and offered them a night here in return," Sey reported. Kanga listened carefully and slowly nodded her head at the end.

"Kisa told me some rumors of this group. Still it does no harm to be cautious. We will have to be careful tonight during shift changes. One of us should talk to Star about being alert," Kanga rattled off. The sliding door opened a foot and out came the blond haired Chico. He immediately went to Kanga and climbed into her lap, his hands clinging to her shirt. Kanga wrapped one arm around him and patted his head with the other.

"People scwary," He said fearfully as he nestled farther into Kanga. She looked down at him with an almost sad look on her face. She was sixteen years (approximately) and was expected to be a mother to these children when she hadn't had a mother herself. They looked up to her too much and didn't realize that she wasn't as strong as they thought she was. She was strong, but she wouldn't be strong enough to protect her family if Sey's trust was misguided.

"It's alright. I'll protect you," Kanga muttered softly, not believing her own words.


	2. Chapter 2

The day went on as usual for the family of half-demons, but an air of tense uncertainty followed Kanga through every task she undertook. As a precaution against the strangers in the forest, Kanga commanded that either she or Sey had to be on guard duty on the roof while the other did one of their normal everyday tasks. In the usual order: Kanga trained Star in some fighting, Sey cut wood, Kanga packed away the day's batch of forging, and Sey taught Chico and Ren a few more things about survival as they did every day.

As the day started to settle into night, Kanga was visibly tense and anxious that the group of strangers had failed and the demons would come to blame them for the attack. As the sun move halfway below the horizon, Sey drew everyone inside and everyone did some small task to contribute to dinner. Chico and Ren started a fire in the stone box built into the floor, Star made rice, Kiki stripped herbs, Kiko prepared a dish of mixed vegetables, and Sey cooked fish. Slowly everything was put together and then transferred to the long table set for only seven. Only Kanga remained outside to watch for the appearance of the demons of the group.

The house was a strange design with only two doors that both led outside. Everything inside was just a doorway with cloth draping down only over the ones to the individual bedrooms. The main sliding door toward the front opened into the front room that served as a living and dining area for the family. It was a spacious area with a table that could hold twenty people, though there weren't that many half-demons currently living there. The kitchen was just as spacious with wooden tables set up to serve as counters and a fire pit closer to the front wall, out of the way of unaware feet. Everyone in the house was cautious of it and no one was ever to leave a fire burning there unattended, in case someone wasn't paying attention and was coming close to tripping into it. Because of Kanga's rules, no one had ever fallen in. Near the opposite wall was another sliding door that led outside. In the true middle of the room was a trap door that led to an underground cellar. It was sturdily built by the woman that had rescued them all and was always cold no matter what the temperature outside was. Everything down there was kept in metal and wooden chests to prevent spoilage and any animals or bugs getting into it. Near the back of the house was a pump that connected to a water reservoir that needed to be filled every once in a while.

The bedrooms were the only things that weren't spacious. Each room was only big enough to hold two bed rolls and nothing more. Because of this, everyone mostly had their own room as well as small chest for personal objects such as clothes and trinkets. Only six rooms existed currently with more slowly being built in the back whenever Sey and Kanga had the time. Out of the six, one room remained empty as a reminder of lost members who were possibly gone forever.

As Kanga sat on the roof, her hand tightly gripping a bow, she searched the tree tops for any of the demons. Her grip didn't lessen when she saw the mixed group exit the forest, battered and a little dirty, but perfectly fine. In a few lethal movements, Kanga got up from her position and jumped down as they approached the house.

"You don't have to worry about those demons anymore," Inuyasha said confidently. Kanga looked each person up and down before speaking.

"I cannot deny you what Sey has promised then," She said and, in one move, she turned and jumped onto the platform behind her. Inuyasha followed her, but everyone else decided to take the stairs when they saw where she was headed. After one last look at the forest behind her, Kanga opened the sliding door and entered. Star and Sey were still bringing in steaming dishes while the younger ones sat in their designated seats around the table. All four of them looked at Kanga as they entered with Inuyasha behind her. With wide eyes, Chico darted under the table, but Ren just looked at them with a pale face as the mixed group filed into the room.

"Kiki, Kiko, set up more places and help Sey prepare more food if necessary," Kanga said without moving from her position by the door as the group bypassed her and spread out by the wall beside it.

"We made extra don't worry," Sey said as he entered with two more dishes balanced in his hands. Already there were four separate ones on the table, more than enough if it was just the seven of them. Sey looked at Kanga, they locked eyes for a moment, and with a mutual understanding, Kanga pushed out the door and silently disappeared into the night.

The twins scrambled out of their seats and into the kitchen just as Sey moved all the already placed cushions to the side of the table across from the door. Ren helped a little but he didn't more far from his seat. "I'm sorry that we did not have the table ready. I didn't get that far yet," Sey said as he shifted cushions around, moving them from place to place.

"It's alright," Kagome assured him, but even though she felt unsure of being here. She had eyes, and she saw the reactions from the younger children. All of the expressions held fear, and she could see that Kanga was wary of them. Only Sey looked completely okay with it, even though he really wasn't anymore.

"Where did she disappear to?" Inuyasha asked pointing back to the door.

"Kiki and Kiko are half-bat demons and require blood as well as food to survive. Kanga handles the hunting for them since I'm not so good with that," Sey said with a tight smile as his eyes wandered around elsewhere. Soon Star came in balancing a dish and four cushions in her hands. Sey took the cushions from her and arranged them as the twins brought in the rest. All three of the half-demons immediately went to their seats once Sey took their items. Once everything was arranged, he took a seat at the head opposite from the kitchen.

"Take a seat anywhere you like," He said and they did so. Just after everyone was settled, Kanga came back in. Chico darted out from under the table and clasped onto one of her legs with tears glistening in his eyes. With a sad face, she unlatched the boy and picked him up before taking her seat at the head of the table, with an empty seat and Inuyasha on either side. Starting from Kanga and going clockwise, it went as it has always went: Kanga, (Chico), Star, Ren, Kiko, Kiki, Sey, Miruko, Sango, Kirara, Shippo, Kagome, Inuyasha. Silence filled the air as food went untouched and fear written across all the children's faces.

"I think we should all introduce ourselves since you have done us a great favor, and we are giving you this meal and a bed for the night," Sey suggested warmly but Kanga saw the regret in his eyes. "My lady, would you like to go first?" he offered to Kagome.

"Yes. I'm Kagome," She started with a small smile.

"You're a priestess," Kiki said quietly though it cut through the silence.

"Yes," Kagome responded a little unsettled.

"Kiki has the ability to pick out spiritual presences among people. Those with great spiritual powers have unique presences compared to others," Sey explained. Kiki stared at Kagome with shadowed eyes and Kagome looked back but with a warmed face. Kiki shifted her face to her twin and the two looked down at the small space between them in unison. Sey looked at Inuyasha and waited for him to say something.

"What?" He asked.

"Could you tell the younger ones who you are?" Sey said patiently.

"Inuyasha," he responded.

"What is your demon half?" Kanga asked without looking. Her attention was fixed on coxing Chico to eat something. So far he was content to nibble on a piece of bread dipped in fish juice. His eyes were still watery with slightly shed tears but he was slowly calming down.

For a moment Inuyasha looked confused before he finally understood what she was asking. "Dog," He responded. Chico stopped his nibbling but then continued again when Kanga patted his head gently. Sey looked to Miruko. There appeared to be no order to his picking and choosing of people, but nothing ever appeared to be in order when Sey did it.

"I'm an exorcist, Miruko," He said with a smile. No one reacted negatively to it, but no one was positive either. Only angry villagers or demons had tried to kill them, never a spiritual agent. That didn't mean that any of them like him because of his ability to kill demons.

"I'm Sango, and I'm a demon slayer," She said right after. Sey didn't need to force it on now so he let it unfold. Still no one reacted, but Star looked at her with a curious gaze. Star loved learning to fight, but it was always a game to her. She wanted to be like her sister and protect their family here. After two years, she was still looked down on by Sey and Kanga since her fighting skills weren't as good as theirs. So far, she wasn't allowed to do guard duties and was not allowed to take the younger kids into the forest unless one of the two was with her.

"I'm Shippo and this is Kirara," The little fox demon said happily before picking up a dish and putting some fish on his and Kirara's plates. He was the first to visibly pick up a dish of food, and afterwards everyone continued. Kanga didn't go for any of the food until everyone had taken some, and her family was polite and didn't talk with their mouths full of food.

"I am Kanga, and I am in charge here. My demon part is panther," She stated with a high head before looking down to the scared child in her arms. "This is Chico. His demon half is dog," She said for him. He finished his piece of bread and hid his face into her loose shirt to hide from the gazes as the group looked at him. One hand wrapped around the child while the other lightly tapped her sister's shoulder.

"I am Kanga's sister, Star," She stated and looked down at the food before her. After a few moments of silence she looked to Ren and spoke for him. "This is Ren, and he's half wolf," She said and placed a reassuring hand on his back before reaching for food to put on both of their plates.

"I'm Kiko," He said his gaze directed at Kanga, but held no fear, "I am half bat."

"And I'm Kiki his twin," his sister added and looked at Sey who looked a little easier about this since the children weren't looking so scared now that they knew the groups' names and a little more about who they were.

"And I am Sey, half bird," He said lastly. Slowly, food was consumed and conversations were stared among and between the groups. Inuyasha and Kanga conversed about the settlement with Kagome intervening at times. Star questioned Sango about being a demon slayer and if it was something she herself could be trained to become. Through all this, Ren warmed up and was soon laughing at whatever tricks that Shippo performed on an empty space of table. On normal days, Kanga would sharply say some harsh words and take the toys away, but today she let it go on as she saw Ren smile like a child should. Miruko was having conversations about presences with Kiki and Kiko, since he also shared some of that ability, and there were a lot of non-technical words used by the two children who barely understood the ability themselves.

"How did this all start?" Kagome asked and everyone else's conversations stopped. Many of the half-demon children looked a little disturbed by the questions, almost like their own pasts were being asked about. Star wrapped an arm around Ren, the twins pressed their foreheads together in search of comfort, and Sey just stared at Kanga who was expected to answer. Kanga just stared down at Chico, unable to start.

"Kanga and Star were the first," Sey said and gestured for Kanga to elaborate.

"A woman rescued us. Our mother died of illness and we were blamed by the villagers. Our father wanted nothing to do with us by then, so we had no hope of living with either kind. We traveled with her for years and soon others came," Kanga said and ended the story.

"Kisa came next and then it was me and Bird," Sey said remembering, his voice wavering a bit at the mention of his missing sister. Kanga nodded as silent grief over took the family.

"All that matters is the group got too big to travel, so she put us here to fend for ourselves," Kanga said and immediately the grief was gone from everyone. Star started at her plate with a very breakable stone face, and silently she got up with Ren. Together they gathered up the dirty plates and took them to the kitchen.

"Tell us how did such a diverse group as yours get together?" Sey asked Kagome with a warm smile, trying to break away from the saddening topics of the past. She told them of how they traveled around looking for pieces of the jewel. Sey slowly nodded his head, but stated they knew nothing about it even though they did from their friend Kisa in the mountains. As the conversation went on, Star appeared in the doorway and waited for a break in it. After the story, Sey gestured his head up, and Kanga turned around to face her sister.

"There's no water left in the reservoir," Star said quickly, like a child who had just interrupted an important conversation. Kanga nodded her head and turned back around. Slowly she tried to shift the now sleeping Chico off her without waking him; so far it wasn't working since his tiny hands still gripped her shirt. Gracefully, Sey got up and kneeled down next to his mate.

"It's my turn," Kanga stated as she shifted Chico to him.

"I know," Sey said and arose with the child. Kanga silently arose and was out the door without a sound. With her gone, Sey moved back to his seat and awkwardly sat down, unused to having a child in his arms. The uneasy rustle awoke Chico. Sey stiffened, ready for the crying and bolting of the child, but surprisingly the shy child did nothing. Instead he looked at Inuyasha and smiled. The next moment, Ren appeared from the shadows behind the dog demon and jumped onto his back, clutching his plushy ears. Chico giggled as he watched Ren jerk around happily as Inuyasha tried to get him off.

"Ah!" Inuyasha cried his hand flying to get the boy off him with clench teeth. Sey quickly abandoned Chico on the floor and rushed to stop Ren from hurting Inuyasha. After much tugging, angry yelling, and pain, Ren was clasped in Sey's arms and trying to escape back to the ears. Despite Sey's thin, tall form, he was pretty strong. Kanga was stronger though.

"I'm sorry about him. He's likes to play with the ears on half-demons' heads. We think it's because unlike Star, Kanga, and Chico, he doesn't have any," Sey said and resumed his seat.

"It's alright," Kagome responded with a little laugh as she watched Inuyasha massage his crumpled ears.

"We thought that we had fixed this with him, but apparently not," Sey sighed.

"Sey, Chico's under the table," Kiki said in a small voice. She was still sitting upright, but her twin was flattened on the ground with his eyes looking under the table.

"Are you going to be good?" Sey asked Ren. By now he had stopped struggling and was looking guilty at the floor. Slowly he nodded his head and Sey released him. Ren scrambled to his seat and peeked under the table to his friend. Sey looked under the table.

"Come out Chico," Sey beckoned. Chico shrank farther away from all the peering faces of the half-demons and unknowingly to the other group. Sey sighed and left it alone.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked softly as she now looked under the table to the young boy very near her. His eyes widened with fear and scrambled to edge by Kanga's seat.

"He won't come to you. Strangers and loud noises scare him," Sey said tiredly. All of Kagome's team looked under the table, each one trying to call Chico out. The boy's gaze shifted around at each voice and started shaking greatly. Only when his gaze rested on Inuyasha did the shaking stop.

"Stop," Inuyasha said quietly. Slowly he went over to Kanga's side and watched at the boy shrink away. Everyone stopped talking and watched with wonderment. "Come out," Inuyasha said softly and offered a hand. Hesitantly Chico took the hand and crawled out from under the table while shaking a little. Once out, he bolted at Inuyasha and clung to his robes. Inuyasha sat back into Kanga's seat and put a reassuring arm around the scared child.

"He's never done that to anyone except Kanga," Sey muttered surprised. The door slid open and Kanga came inside.

"There's water now," she announced and unseeingly, Star snuck behind her and outside. Kanga looked around, her gaze freezing on Inuyasha and Chico.

"That is impossible," Kanga said amazed.

"Why?" Kagome asked, not understanding the situation.

"Chico is afraid of strangers," Kanga stated and her gaze moved on. It stopped again, this time on the guilty looking Ren. "What did he do?" She asked her eyes narrowing.

Sey pursed his lips. "He tugged on our new friend's ears," He responded gesturing to Inuyasha. Kanga closed her eyes for a few seconds, not saying anything.

"Ren, did you say you were sorry?" She asked opening her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Ren said in a small voice.

"It's okay," Inuyasha responded and nodded to the boy. Ren didn't look so guilty anymore, but now looked a little ashamed.

"It must be strange for Chico to meet someone like him," Kanga said and gestured for the twins to leave. Both of them got up and left outside just as Star was coming inside with a box of clean dishes. Easily the three avoided collision as they went their separate ways.

"I wish I could meet someone like me at some point," Sey said jokingly and got to his feet, "Do any of you mind sharing rooms for the night?" he asked as he moved to stand by an unlit doorway. Everyone shook their heads no.

"We will make the rooms up then. If you need anything, see Star," Kanga said and they disappeared into the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

"He's so cute," Shippo said as he closely stared at Chico. The fox demon steadied his hands on Inuyasha's leg and leaned closer to the small child. Chico was tense and scared with tears flew from his because him.

"You're scaring him," Star said from the kitchen. With soft steps, she picked up the fox demon and put him on the opposite side of the table near Ren.

"He really doesn't like strangers, does he?" Sango asked as she watched the dog child burry his head in Inuyasha's robes.

"No. Demon's make him more scared than anything else though. His mother's clan killed both of his parents in front of him. I think it might have hurt his mind a little, but that's something for Kanga to determine, not me." Star said sadly and sat down in her spot next to Ren who was still looking a little ashamed. Shippo pulled out some tricks and started showing them to Ren which cheered him up a little. The boy was smiling and happy again as the front door silently slid open.

"That's why he can't talk," Kiko said. Him and his sister avoided Inuyasha entirely and went the long way around the table to play with Ren and Shippo.

"He only talks to Kanga," Star corrected, "Sometimes he will try to talk to us when he's hungry or something." Kanga slipped silently back into the room and Sey stuck to the shadows and disappeared through the door outside.

"We don't have that many rooms, but we have enough for everyone to rest comfortably. Kiki, Kiko, you two are in your own room. Chico and Ren, you're with Star, and me and Sey will take turns sharing my room," Kanga listed off quickly, counting off the rooms on her fingers as she went. Sey came back inside with a slightly wetter head.

"It's raining out," He stated and Kanga disappeared outside, grabbing a bow and quiver from the shadows near the door. At closer inspection, you could see a small alcove had been cut away to hide weapons for easy access. Sey shook his head out and moved in front of everyone.

"Where did she go?" Miruko asked.

"We made special bamboo shudders to keep the walkway from getting slippery. She's going to close them, and then take the first guard shift for the night," Sey explained.

"What's there to guard against? We took out the demons," Sango asked with a slight suspicion.

"Other demons could come. Also, there are human villages close by, and they are known not to like us either. It's only a precaution," Sey said.

"Did those demons we killed ever come here?" Inuyasha asked, his attention still fixed on the clinging Chico.

"Sometimes," Sey hesitantly said, "They asked for food in exchange for not hurting us. They're gone now though." Sey knelt down next to Inuyasha and went to work prying Chico from him.

"Is safe for you guys to stay here?" Kagome asked as the reality began to sink into the group of strangers. These half demons, all of them no more than children, were completely on their own and at the mercy of any demon of human that came by wanting blood.

"The house is hidden from the road by the trees, and we keep away from any place we might encounter humans to begin with. Also, Kanga is more than a match for any demon that comes" Sey named off, but even he was unconvinced with their safety.

"What if she isn't?" Miruko asked.

"Then we try to reason with them. If that doesn't work, me, Kanga, and the twins can all fight. Kanga is the best of us though," Sey finished and took Chico into his arms. He was now half-asleep and mostly limp as Sey stood up and curled the boy in his arms. "Bed time," He said simply and slowly the children started to get up. Star took Ren's hand and then came and took Chico from Sey's arms before disappearing into the dark hallways. Kiki and Kiko said good night to Shippo and disappeared into the dark hand in hand.

"I'll get a few candles for you. We have the three rooms on the right set up with two rolls in each room. You can decide amongst yourselves who will sleep next to who," Sey said and disappeared into the kitchen. The light inside went out inside the room before he came back with three candles in stone holders. "Keep in mind that there are young children in the house though," He added as he blew out a few candles hidden away in circular alcoves around the room. He lite the candles in his hand and set them on the table for the group to take a moment before going into the dark hallway to get some sleep himself.


	4. Chapter 4

As the night drew on, the group decided to go to sleep with the boys in one room and the girls and demons in the other. Even though they had been given three rooms, they decided that it was best to stick close together not only for safety, but also for warmth since cold easily seemed to seep through the wood and into their clothes.

*crash*

*rumble*

Echos of the storm shook the house throughout the night, but mostly everyone was able to stay asleep. Inuyasha, though, was unable to block out the noise and his ears rang every time from the thunder. He had propped himself up against the wall at the front of his bed, determined to try and sleep sitting up even though the storm seemed never ending. He never slept on the floor or used covers, but it was a cold night so he had draped a cover over his bare feet to keep them warm. Though the house was dry, it was also freezing. Another crash of lightning came, lighting up the whole room through the small window between the beds. A series of hurried, running feet followed as they darted down the hall. They froze as another rumbled shook the house. He heard the screams of two children, and he jumped up to the door. He pushed open the sliding door and looked down each side of the hall.

Huddled against the right doorway across the way were the two twins shaking. He carefully made his way to them, seeing their tears shinning from the candles that were lite in the few alcoves in the hallways. He put a hand on Kiko's shoulder and the two of them looked up in fright. Another crash of lighting lit up the house, sending the two barreling into Inuyasha, clinging to him in a way he never thought they would. With one hand, he gathered the children into his arms and pushed aside the curtain in front of him.

Inside were two disheveled beds and a small chest pushed against the back of the right one. He assumed this was where Kanga and Sey were staying, though neither of them were here at the moment, which one of them should. He frowned and backed out of the room. He went to the one he thought must be Star's and went in there. He couldn't take care of these children he knew, so he was trying to find someone who could. Instead of Star, he found Chico and Ren huddled in the left corner. There were three beds in this room (as he suspected). He sat near the boys, against the wall and tried to untangle the twins from him. Inuyasha was starting to get that something wasn't right if all three of the "adults" weren't anywhere to be found.

"I'm going to find Kanga," He told them gently as he tried to pull them away.

"Don't leave us," Kiki whimpered. She was shaking worse than her brother and was clinging the tightest, pinching painful parts of his skin in the process. He gritted his teeth and stopped trying. The twins kept their hold on him, but they moved and took seats on either side of him to be more comfortable. The two younger boys shakily crawled over and nestled into his lap.

He tried to keep his arms crossed, to show he was tough and didn't care, but the children finally got to him. All of them were frightened by the storm, shaking and crying with no one else to assure them that everything was alright. Slowly he uncurled his arms and put them around the twins. They weren't shaking so bad now and officially stopped when he did that. Soon he had pulled the covers toward him and draped one over each of the twins and another over the boys. All of them were content and eventually fell asleep. Inuyasha was the only one who couldn't though. He could believe that all three of the older kids were all gone at the exact same moment and for such a long period.

He thought the kids were asleep at least. In truth, Kiki and Kiko were wide awake, though they didn't seem scared anymore. They were frozen by fear at this point by the beautifully horrid smell the rain was bringing inside. Blood.

"Kiki," Kiko said quietly. His twin lifted her head slightly and looked to him with fearful eyes. "Do you smell that?" He asked fearfully. She slowly nodded her head. Inuyasha smelled the air, but all he got was rain and wet wood.

"What do you smell?" He asked. Bat demons had the best noses of all the demons, so he didn't try to scare them with his gruffness or challenge them on it. They were scared enough without him being mean, plus he was the only comforting person around for them.

"Blood," Kiko answered.

"A lot of it. Family blood," Kiki said quietly as she started shaking. Inuyahsa looked back and forth between them for a few moments before shaking them off and moving the boys onto the bed in front of him. Soon, he was running through the house and out the door. It didn't take him much to figure out what "family blood" meant for these two.

Once outside, Inuyasha smelled it. It was heavy in the air and the rain seemed to intensify it. He took a few steps to the forest, but the smell just faded. The bodies of demons surrounded the house, but that wasn't where the stench was coming from. This was half-demon blood he smelled, and it was barely mixed with the demons.

"Kanga!" He shouted over the rain. He stayed on the edge of the trees, listening for demons or friends. There was a rustle to the right, and Inuyasha spun toward it with his hand on his sword. Sey emerged from the bushes, slowly and painfully, with a body slung over his left shoulder. His left hand steadied the body as it limply swayed with his own swaying body movements. His right hand rested on a short sword in his belt. At the sight of Inuyasha, his sword arm relaxed and became as limp as the body he carried.

"What happened?" Inuyahsa asked, running over to the boy. Sey looked up at him hopelessly.

"Kanga..." He started but couldn't finished. "We have to leave," he said more confidently. He tugged past Inuyasha and to the house. As he passed, he saw that the body was Star.

"Where is Kanga?" Inuyasha asked. Sey ignored him and kept walking.

"Wait," He said tired but stern, and went inside. A few moments later, he came back out with a bandage tied around his upper right arm. He let out a ragged breath as he stood in front of Inuyasha again. "We need help," He started and looked to the trees. The ground started shaking as if something was big was walking toward them. Sey froze and stiffened.

"What is that?" Inuyasha asked, looking to around with his hand ready to draw his sword.

"Our problem," Sey said hopelessly. His eyes were fixated on the tree as a giant praying mantis looking demon came into view through the rain. Its bladed appendages were stained with blood as well as its jaws, where a body was neatly lying at the moment. Inuyasha smelled it now, the stench of half-demon blood. Even through the heavy rain that was still pouring, you could tell the body was Kanga and that she was everything but conscious. Inuyasha looked fearless as he unleashed his sword and took his stance, while Sey looked shocked and completely hopeless.

"What's going on?" Miruko yelled as he burst through the door. He came out into the rain and then froze behind Inuyasha, staring up at the demon. The mantis screeched and threw Kanga into the trees to the right.

"Kill it," Sey said dangerously and then he was gone. The two men didn't even get to glance at him before he was gone. Inuyasha launched at the creature immediately, hitting it this way and that before stepping back out of breath. His sword couldn't cut through the demon's natural armor, but the Mantis' sharp claws could defiantly cut though him.

"Damn it," He muttered through clenched teeth. So far Miruko was busy dodging and defending the house, and hadn't even tried to attack the creature. An almost unseen arrow launched through the sky and pierced the demon's head. Inuyahsa, the only one who saw the arrow, looked back toward the trees as the demon stiffened for a moment before crumbling to the ground, dead.

"Did you kill it?" Miruko asked Inuyasha. The half demon looked back at him before looking to the trees once more. He had barely seen the arrow, and he better eyesight than any human. He heard voices above the rain and sheathed his sword.

"Sh…" He said to Miruko and listened.

"Hang on Kanga," Sey said distantly, "We're almost home," He kept muttering over and over again. His voice progressively got closer and closer and soon he emerged from the trees with Kanga draped in his arms. A bow and quiver hung loosely from his shoulder as he passed by the two men and went directly into the house without a word or glance.

"What happened exactly?" Sango asked slowly. The rain had finally stopped; the children were all asleep in their own beds, and all the injured were cared for.

"I explained this already," Sey said tiredly. He had been the least injured of everyone with only a deep gash on his upper arm. Muscles were torn and it was extremely painful, but he would defiantly live.

"Well, start from the beginning then," Sango stated. She was unnerved about the fight that had happened outside without their knowing, and wished she had been there to help and maybe to prevent the massive amount of injury dealt to mostly Kanga.

"I went to take over guard duty from Kanga. She was up on the roof at that time. She told me there was something stalking the house, so we guarded together. After a while, I saw the shifting like Kanga, but neither of us knew what type of demon it was. The demon stopped and didn't move for a while in the trees. Kanga's a good shot so she decided to try and get a good shot from in the forest. I stayed behind in case there were multiple ones. After a few minute, Kanga shot a flaming arrow into the sky which was our single for distress. I went out to help her, but she was already a little injured. I don't know when Star found us, but she got in the way a lot. She got knocked on the head and Kanga told me to get her out of there. You know the rest," Sey told ungracefully. He had known all the facts, but there was that little voice that told him to keep out the personal thing; like Star wanted to be on guard duty and her constant feud against it.

"Why didn't you wake any of us up?" Miruko asked, almost annoyed with the idea. They all knew that Inuyasha had come of his own free will just like Miruko, but they all wondered what would have happened if the children hadn't sent Inuyasha away in the first place? Sey started at him with wonder.

"We didn't want your help," He said simply, "This is our home, and we have to defend, not you." Even though his words weren't gentle or kind, the soft tone he used made him seem like he wasn't trying so start a fight.

"Sey…" a quiet voice came from the hallway doorway. Everyone looked over and saw Kiki and Kiko peeking out from either side of the doorway. "Can we help?" She finished. Sey almost said no, but decided against it when he saw the glints of their mirrors by their sides.

"You're only children though," Kagome said with almost an outraged but sincere tone.

"You can't fall asleep, neither of you. You can't leave the roof for any reason other than to come inside and only when there is danger. You don't confront any danger, alright?" Sey named off, grasping both twins with his eyes.

"Yes," The both answered in unison.

"Go then," He said and gestured to the front door. They padded past the group and out the door. The rain had stopped all together now, but it was still humid.

"Can they fight at all?" Kagome asked. She was clearly worried for the twins' safety.

"Those mirrors they have absorb attacks and weaker demons and reflect them away. It's a defensive measure our friend taught them," Sey answered. He shifted himself a little and leaned back against the wall.

"Where did your 'friend' get them?" Sango asked suspiciously.

"I don't know. She might have made them herself, but I don't remember," Sey answered. He leaded his head back with his eyes closed as an attempt to show he was tired. It wasn't working.

"Who is this 'friend'?" Inuyasha asked, suspicious also.

"Kisa, she a half-bat demon as well. She used to live here with us, but now she's training with a healer in the mountains," Sey said strongly. He didn't like that this group was suspicious about his sister, or even that they thought bad about her. Kisa only ever helped them, never caused trouble. "You should all leave in the morning," He stated as he thought behind his closed eyes.

"You'll be easy pickings for demons while you guys are hurt," Inuyasha stated strongly.

"You guys are drawing them here with your energy. There usually aren't this many demons," Sey muttered through his sleep.

"You should lie down," Kagome stated finally.

"I have to stay here in case the twins need me," Sey stated just a tad more awake as he forced his eyes open.

"I'll stay," Inuyasha stated. It wasn't a question; it was a silent command for Sey to go to bed. The two locked gazes.

"I'm okay with that," Sey stated and pushed himself up.

"I think we should all sleep then," Kagome said. Everyone else agreed and followed Sey into the dim hallway.


End file.
